In today's society, with urban blight, and the like, there is still a need for mouse traps. Even with the modernization of sanitation facilities, education via the respective communication medias, mice are still a problem, especially in blighted areas, as well as in new developments where field mice are prevalent and have infiltrated new homes.
Existing mouse traps basically leave the person placing the traps with the job of removing the trap and the dead mouse, which is not ones favorite thing. Most people are queasy when dealing with a live mouse, let alone a dead one. The fact is that most people not only don't want to physically handle a dead mouse, they don't even want to see it. Therefore there is a need for an efficient disposable mouse trap that can be easily disposed of without viewing the dead mouse.
My invention consists of an opaque cylindrical compartment or chamber having a closed and an open end. A pin extending through a wall of the cylindrical chamber is positioned adjacent the closed end. A spring loaded lever arm is coupled to the pin at one end thereof by means of a semi-circular groove; the other end of the lever arm being of a configuration suitable for closing the open end of the cylindrical compartment once the trap is activated. In essence, the trap is activated by placing a piece of food or bait on the pin within and near the closed end of the cylindrical compartment. The mouse is attracted by the smell of the food or bait and is lured into the cylindrical compartment or chamber. As the mouse approaches the food or bait on the pin, the mouse releases the spring loaded arm closing the open end of the cylindrical compartment thereby trapping the mouse within the compartment causing the mouse to suffocate to death.
It is easy to determine if the trap has been activated by visual examination. If the open end of the cylindrical compartment is closed the trap has been activated indicating a mouse is trapped within the cylindrical compartment, at which time the trap is picked up and disposed of in the garbage. If the trap was inadvertently set-off, it would be easy to determine by picking it up. If there is no mouse within the cylindrical compartment, it will weigh substantially less than if a mouse was in it. If the trap was inadvertently set-off, or if one wanted to reuse the trap, it can be reset and reused. The opaqueness of the cylinder avoids viewing the dead or dying mouse by the person removing the trap.
The trap may be reused, if desired, by simply pressing down on the spring loaded lever arm thereby re-opening the open end of the cylindrical compartment and disposing of the dead mouse into the garbage or other suitable place.
It becomes a matter of choice of the person setting the trap as to whether the trap and mouse should be disposed of or just the dead mouse.